


Trust Your Home

by SpongeGuy



Series: Lumity Series [3]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Babysitting, F/F, Fluff, Gay, spellbound 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24019942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpongeGuy/pseuds/SpongeGuy
Summary: SpellBound 3!! Luz and Amity babysit Braxas together, and Luz finally realizes that she truly has a friend in her heart. And maybe more...
Relationships: Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Amity Blight and Braxas, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & King & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, Luz Noceda and Braxas
Series: Lumity Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666093
Comments: 15
Kudos: 234





	Trust Your Home

“Ugh…”, sighed Luz Noceda, as she sprawled across the Owl House couch, countless study books open on her head, and her hands dramatically pointing away from her. Her hexside uniform, that hadn’t left her from the moment she had laid eyes on it, that had felt so fresh and exciting and cool, now felt tight, and sweaty, and wrong.

Eda, smelling the angst from all the way upstairs, rolled her eyes and approached. “What’s wrong, kiddo? That nerd you like cancelled date night?”

Luz tried to ignore the statement, though her cheeks definitely didn’t, and her muffled answer didn’t help. “Leave me alone, Eda… Maybe if I have enough books on my head it will just absorve? I don’t know, head empty, no thoughts.”

“That’s Luz speak for “I’m a big dumb dumb!”, King replied, getting a whack on the head from Eda.

“You’re not helping, King.”

“And no one is helping me! Not even my therapist! Hoot hoot!”, Hooty said, and everyone just tried to ignore that statement.

Owlbert flew down from Eda’s staff and buried himself next to Luz’s palm, and Luz lifted the book to address him too. “Owlbert, I know you want to help, but none of you can!”

“And how come? Last time I checked, I was still your mentor! Sort of.”, Eda commented, sitting down and listening to the human girl mope. “I thought you were excited over all this dumb school stuff. Was I right or was I right?”, she laughed, before realizing that was a dumb thing to say.

“Eda…”, Luz moaned, and Eda rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers, and the books all flew off Luz and landed neatly on the table. She then summoned a tub of ice cream from the fridge and opened it for Luz.

“Come on. Tell Eda your troubles.”

Luz sighed (with a small smile) and she began to dig in to the ice cream. “Amity…”

“I knew it was about the nerd! King, you owe me 10 snails!”, Eda cheered with a fist pump and King scoffed.

“How was I supposed to know? She and Plant Girl were vibing! VIBING!”

“In this universe… But in others… The Willuz shippers get what they want… Hoot hoot.”

…

Moving on…

Luz, again ignoring her massive blush, scooped some sweet ice cream into her mouth and spoke with her mouth full. “Amity was told to be my study buddy for my first week at Hexside… And that means seeing how well I do with all these subjects.”

“And you’re worried because you stink?”, Eda ventured a guess, lying down on the couch and closing her eyes.

“Exactly!”, Luz threw her arms wide, spoon in mouth.

“But… Isn’t the point of a study buddy to help you improve? I remember mine. That kid sucked! Good thing I gave him that stand up routine spouting acne! That was hilarious!”

“Well, you know what’s not funny? Sucking completely! I’m so far behind everyone as it is! I don’t want Amity to think I’m… Not good enough.”

“She doesn’t think that.”, Eda said, secretly indicating of another person who didn’t think that.

“Well I think that. If I want to be a good friend and a good witch, I need to be counted on! To know what I’m doing! If all I can do is a simple light spell, I’m gonna be no use to anyone! And I’m not gonna waste Amity’s time learning the basic basics! So… I don’t know what to do.”

Luz sighed and crossed her arms. She seemed lost. “I was supposed to go and have a study session in the library with her, but it will ruin everything. I wish I could just… Find another way to impress her.”

“Oh, just kiss her already!”, Eda joked, and Luz blushed as red as a tomato as Eda belly laughed.

“EDA! I don’t like her like that!”, Luz said, though the back of her mind couldn’t help but note that Amity was probably a great kisser, definitely better than Luz, who had no practice.

Suddenly, Luz’s scroll phone (borrowed from Gus, who collected old models) buzzed and beeped, and a message from Amity flashed in purple in front of her. Luz, after yipping, read it, and a visible excitement got hold of her, her previously sad outlook turning sunny as ever, maybe even more than usual. With a “Who hoo!”, she leapt down to the floor and into her room, collecting things into her backpack.

Eda, who was surprised by the sudden transition, couldn’t help but ask “Um, Luz, what the actual…”

“DUCK!”, King shouted, pointing at his rubber ducky and grabbing him.

“Is going on?!”, Eda asked, as Luz passed by her and gave her a big hug.

Looking up with a squirrely smile, she spouted “Amity needs me to help babysit a kid!”

“…And how the…”

“BELL!”, Hooty shouted, wanting to be involved.

“Is that a good thing?”, Eda asked, confused. Sure, she had enjoyed babysitting the bat children, but still!

Luz walked back in reverse and, still hyper, explained. “One, children are a blessing.”

“Hardly, but carry on.”, Eda said, waving her hand.

“Two, if I can prove to Amity that I can be trusted AND use that time to brush up on my basic knowledge, I can impress her, be trustworthy for once, AND sharpen up before a single study session! Then, tomorrow, when we do a session, yours truly will be sharper than a pencil!”, Luz said, dancing to herself.

Eda rolled her eyes. “Sounds zany, even for me. How are you going to do both at the same time without her knowing?”

“I’ll figure it out! I’m not THAT dumb!”, Luz said, and she rushed out through the woods, Eda shaking her head.

“That girl is going to have a horrible night.”

“Or worse! A night full of… Learning experiences!”, King said, and the two shuddered.

“…I eat mice.”, Hooty said.

“We know, Hooty.”

As Luz approached the address Amity had sent her, she was crossing her fingers and her toes in the hope that she would get away with this. She hated being a sneaky sneakster, ESPECIALLY with Amity, but it had to be done! It wasn’t just for Luz… It was for Amity. “She has to ace her studies! I can’t waste her time! I can’t!”

The house she approached looked a little scary, and Luz began to feel a bit of a shiver: It looked like a massive skull and crossbones with a door, and angry noises could be heard from outside. Luz gulped, knowing how weird and sometimes disturbing The Boiling Isles could be, but she had to muscle through for her friend.

Knocking softly on the door, she didn’t even hear a get in or an open the door. The door simply opened by itself, while the sound of shouts and yells from the kitchen reverberated across the hall. A dirty living room was Luz’s present location, with clothes, dust and food building up. A cracked TV stood sadly by the side, and Luz spotted what seemed to be a few boxes filled with clothes and picture frames.

Luz felt uncomfortable and scared; what was she stepping into?

Then it got worse: “Look out! We’re approaching a cliff!”, was what sounded like… Amity?

“We’ll jump over it!”, a weirdly gravelly voice resounded.

“But (neigh) we could… DIE! DUN! DUN! DUN!”

“Not as long as our hearts beat to the same tune! RIDE, MY NOBLE STEED!”

Now, Luz wasn’t an idiot. Or a moron. Or a stupid head.

But Luz WAS a dumbass slowly falling in love.

“DON’T WORRY AMITY I’LL SAVE YOU!”, Luz declared with a shout and she opened the door in a hurry only to find something she didn’t really expect…

Lying down on all fours in a room with few toys and fewer windows was Amity, a demon looking kid (who Luz remembered was called Braxas) riding on top of her back with a cowboy hat. Amity was in the middle of a neigh and a rear, when she suddenly saw Luz and blushed furiously (though Luz did not yet know the real reason).

“LUZ! Um, Hi! I… Uh…”, Amity was embarrassed, and she began to twirl a strand of hair with her finger, while Braxas, who had accidentally fallen but was ok with it, got up and cheered.

“Yay! Ms. Luz came!”, he said in his oddly gravely voice and he ran up to give Luz a hug, though he barely reached her. Luz was… Confused, if touched.

But mostly she was dawwing at Amity. “AWWWW YOU’RE SO CUTE AMITY!”

“I’m not cute!”, Amity snapped for a moment, blushing, before calming down and dusting herself off. She smiled slightly as she looked at Luz, forgetting for a moment her troubles. “…Thank you for coming.”

“Always.”, was Luz’s response, grinning.

The two were lost in each other’s eyes for a moment, but Amity suddenly remembered Braxas, and, lifting him up, she helped him introduce himself. “Luz, THIS is my friend, Braxas.”

“Hi!”, he said cheerfully, and Luz waved with her eyes closed.

Amity cradled Braxas, who smiled up at his babysitter. “I normally babysit him alone, and we get along swell, DON’T WE BRAXAS?”, she said, blowing raspberries on his stomach, making him giggle.

“Yes! We do!”, he said, laughing and laughing.

Luz was trying not to die of cuteness proximity. She was practically dancing from foot to foot.

Amity then frowned and placed Braxas down, holding his hand firmly but gently. “However, today is a…”

Sounds of the never ending fight outside occurred again, and Luz put two and two together.

“…Braxas needed more than a babysitter today. So I promised to play “Mom” today for him.”, Amity admitted, normally hesitant to show such weakness, but not when her little buddy needed her.

“Thank you again, Ms. Amity.”, Braxas said gratefully.

“Ah ah ah!”, Amity playfully wagged her finger. “Mom, Braxas. Don’t forget!”, she booped his nose and he giggled.

“Ok, Mom!”, he said, blushing.

Luz was barely containing her squee of joy. “This is the best thing ever! UWU!”

Luz, then puzzled, scratched her head. “Well then what do you need me for?”

Amity suddenly blushed hard, and was about to open her mouth when Braxas interrupted. “Oh, Ms. Amity said I need two moms, so she called her wife, you!”

Luz froze. No, she practically shut down. Luz.EXE was not working, and Amity, concerned she had shocked her friend to sleep, waved an arm at her eyes. “Luz? Luz! Are you ok?”

Amity sympathized though; her cheeks were burning and her heart was pounding, hopefully to block out the little voice in her head that sort of liked the idea of being married to Luz. “I bet she has the softest kisses…”, Amity fantasized for a moment, dreamy eyed, before snapping out of it.

“Um, Braxas?”, Amity asked the boy as she dragged Luz into his toy chest. “You mind if I have a short and quick discussion with… My wife?”, she gulped, trying not to let out a small scream of mixed emotions.

“Sure! Open communication is very important in a loving and nurturing relationship between to individuals!”, Braxas replied with a smile, and Amity, thankful, flashed a thumbs up and shoved Luz into the closet.

While Luz still stood there, Amity began to apologize. “I’m SUPER sorry for springing this on you, I know that wasn’t very friendly of me, but Braxas really needs this. I hope you understand I would NEVER want to marry you!”

Amity then cringed, realizing how bad that sounds, and she turned away, awkward and shy. “That came off way worse than I intended, I mean that I like you, I mean, what’s not to love? You’re funny, and smart, and kind, and pretty, and… GAH! Just, um… Please, do this for me! I’ll pay you back, I promise!”

Amity tried to ignore her flaming blush while Luz, who began to step back onto reality, replied. “First of all…”

“…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Amity rolled her eyes and smiled humorously. “That Luz…”, she thought fondly.

“Secondly, OF COURSE I’d help! You don’t have to pay me back, we’re friends! That’s what we do!”, Luz encouraged cheerfully, and Amity felt a weight go off her heart. Luz really was always there for her. She better do the same.

“Luz… Thank you. I promise, once this is over, we can do that secret Azura book club idea you had!”, Amity said, and the two hugged, before realizing how close they were and blushing.

“Ahem. So um…”, Amity started, getting blushier by the moment, smiling shyly. “We need to sell this to Braxas, so feel free to call me any pet name you want.”

“Ok, “honey”!”, Luz winked, and Amity tried not to die from embarrassment… Or was it happiness?

Finally stepping out of the closet, the duo smiled down at Braxas, who cheered at their return. “Yay! I have two moms! Were you kissing in the closet?”

Luz and Amity were quick to deny it, getting pinker than a pair of flamingos. “Whaaaat? No no no! We only kiss at… 20:00, and that’s not for another… Two hours!”, they said in unison, nervously laughing and whistling.

Braxas bought this easily. “Ok! So, what are we gonna do now Ms. Amity? I was thinking we could play with my emperor’s coven play set!”

“Oooh, that’s a great idea, Luz and I will set it up immediately!”, Amity said, and Luz, suddenly remembering the reason she came here (besides helping Amity) panicked and said “WAIT!”

Amity paused and gave Luz a curious look. “Is something wrong? Oh, you probably want me to explain all about the coven!”

She whispered to Braxas. “She’s a MAJOR magic geek!”, and Braxas giggled.

Luz was sort of touched but also flustered. “No, um, I just have to… Go to the little witch’s room!”

“GAH! AZURA’S NAME, WAS THAT THE BEST EXCUSE I HAD?!”, Luz complained to herself, and Amity nodded understandingly. “Of course! We’ll try to not have TOO much fun without you!”

Luz nodded and began to dash, but not before Amity called out “Have a good time in there… Darling!”

Luz tried not to show how happy that made her feel. “You too… Beloved!”

Amity had a hard time hiding her blush as she and Braxas set up the toys. Braxas looked up at Amity and asked quietly “You really love her, don’t you?”

Amity smiled and after a moment said, genuinely and truly “…She’s the light of my life, Braxas.”

She sighed as she thought of her previous statement and smiled dearly at where Luz had been previously in the room. “Fun without Luz? Impossible.”

Luz, meanwhile, was definitely not having fun. She had had to sneak into the bathroom, which had spikes and fire everywhere, making her shriek for a moment, before shivering. “Weird!”

Calming down, she removed her Hexside spell book from her hoodie pocket, and opened it on page one. The fire provided a great if terrifying light, and Luz began to read as fast as possible, trying to get comfortable on one of the few floor tiles that didn’t threaten to make her into a shishkebab. After licking her lips she continued reading.

“In order to enter Hexside Academy, one must have a basic knowledge of spells.”, Luz said, nodding. She already knew this, and she knew her massive requirement: learn another spell.

2 spell minimum. That statement had taunted her earlier that day when she had read it, and she had become so depressed she wasn’t sure she could do it.

“But my magical destiny awaits me! I can’t let it down!”, she shouted, and then bashfully added “And also I want to go to school with Willow, Gus and Amity.”

Pretending it was the fire that made her cheeks warm, Luz went through the spells, but none of them had guides on their symbols, just explanations on how to cast them with a wand. Luz frowned; how the heck was she gonna learn how to cast spells without visual aids? Had she brought all these pieces of paper and pens for nothing?!

Suddenly, Luz heard a ticking clock, and, remembering Amity and Braxas, sprung up in alarm. “Oh no! I can’t stay away for too long, Amity and Braxas need me!”

Luz closed the book and felt bad; was what she was doing ok? Even if she was gone for only a few minutes, she was lying.

…

“I’m only trying to help. Amity has no time for my troubles, and neither does that poor boy. I won’t overload on them. I’ll figure both things out!”, Luz said, hoping she was right, and she snuck out, closing the door and running back to Braxas’ room.

Inside the room, Amity and Braxas had already begun playing: Braxas had taken the role of an Emperor’s Coven witch, while Amity was the evil criminal he was pursuing, and apparently she was really invested.

“Nyahahaha, Braxas The Bold! You can’t stop a powerful outlaw such as myself! Hela The Horrible will reign supreme!”, she cackled, Braxas laughing too and placing his witch on a high pillar.

“We’ll see about that, Hella The Horrible!”, Braxas called, and he began to set his trap while Amity looked up, smiling in embarrassment at Luz.

“I… Might have gotten a little method with my role.”, Amity admitted, and her black cape rose with her as she stood.

Luz giggled, and Amity felt glad to be alive again. “I think you make a VERY dashing villain, Amity!”

“Oh, why thank you… Sweetie.”, Amity said, remembering they were married and looking more like a strawberry than a villain.

Luz crouched down, grinning at Braxas. “Ooh, looks like you’re having LOTS of fun!”

“Yeah! But I could use a sidekick…”, Braxas said shyly, and Luz nodded immediately.

“Pleasure is all mine, captain! I’ll be…”, she said, humming as she tried to find the RIGHT toy, Amity failing not to stare with admiration at how soft Luz was from the beginning.

“…Ooh! Can I be the tiger? Roar!”, Luz said, growling before nuzzling Braxas, who laughed.

“Ok! But you gotta sing your lines, ok?”, He asked, and Luz giggled before smiling brightly.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way!”, she said, and so the trio resumed their game.

“MWAHAHAHA! With all this money, I can buy all the candy in the world… AND NEVER SHARE IT!”, Amity cackled again, hamming it up, and Luz and Braxas fake gasped.

“Sharing is caring!”, they both said, Luz singing her line, and somewhere out there the communist anthem played.

Braxas and Luz turned to each other and whispered. “What do we do, captain?”, Luz harmonized quietly.

“I’m gonna distract her by enchanting a box around her, and then you’ll pounce on her and keep her on the ground!”, he said, and Luz saluted with a meow.

The two turned around and Amity pretended to eat a piece of candy before rubbing her stomach in “satisfaction”.

“MMM MMM! Yum yum! Fun in my tum!”, she rhymed, and Luz and Braxas laughed before resuming their missions. Braxas took his toy and began to recite his spell, and Luz lurked behind Amity, taking full advantage of Amity’s need to please Braxas.

“Peanut Butter Scissor Cutter Sewer Gutter Kazam! You are in a box!”, he cast, and Amity pretended to be stuck in a box, comically trying to leave it.

“No! Impossible! HOW DID YOU DEFEAT ME?”, She cried hysterically, and when she peaked at the cheering Braxas she smiled. How she could have used that when she was a child.

But the other part of the plan was soon to strike.

“Now, you will be pinned down to the ground by my tiger and you’ll never steak again!”, Braxas declared, and Amity went from proudly smiling to confused and unsure.

“…What?”, she asked, but before she could turn around AND understand what was going on Luz had already pounced her, having applied cat whiskers to herself in no time.

“Roar!”, she roared, and when Amity looked up she saw the goofy grin of a very silly girl.

And she lost it, laughing uncontrollably. “Oh my Azura, Luz! That was just… HA HA HA HA HA HA!”, tears of mirth dropped like rain from her eyes, she hadn’t laughed like this in a long time. Something about this whole situation was so crazy. This would never have happened to her before Luz…

She was so grateful.

Between the wonderful ringing of Amity’s laughter and her precious smile, Luz found herself laughing too, and the two girls giggled and giggled, which made Braxas laugh too, as he jumped around the room.

Pretty soon though, Luz and Amity slowed down and realized that they were in a very familiar position. One they were once in back when a certain potion had brought them together.

Amity let out a small squeak and Luz turned red too, as they gazed upon each other, noses nearly touching, hands clasping and fingers interlacing without even thinking about it.

It was warm, and close, and Amity looked so lovely, and Luz had to pretend anyway…

“…You know… You’re very pretty for a villain… One might go so far as to say you’re stunning…”, Luz flirted, failing to believe that her words weren’t stuck to her throat.

Amity smiled shyly, wishing she could show her lov… APPRECIATION for Luz. Perhaps there was a way… “Luz, not in… Not in front of Braxas! He can’t understand our love!”, she over dramatically whined, closing her eyes before peaking with a grin.

Luz purred and with her nose, nose kissed Amity’s nose. “Let him look… Babe…”

Amity blushed super hard and held Luz’s head in her arms, stroking her face. “…You’re… You’re pretty too… In fact… You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen…”

The two giggled again, a weight slightly lifted from their hearts. Could it be like this all the time?

Were they perhaps ignoring their true feelings? 

But all good things must come to an end: Braxas made an exaggerated yawn and said “Can you too stop being all kissy kissy? There’s something I wanna show my mom! Ms. Amity Mom, that is!”

Luz and Amity, still blushing furiously, stood up and dusted themselves off, smiling shyly at each other. They didn’t want to stop, but…

“I’ll go see what Braxas wants to show me. You wanna come, Luz?”, Amity asked, but Luz, remembering what she had to do, panicked.

“No! I mean… Yes, but… I gotta go to the bathroom again?”, Luz lamely replied. She really only had one room to study, but it didn’t stop the insult from being weak. Plus, Luz was beginning to feel pangs of guilt as Amity smiled sympathetically.

“Oh of course! Don’t let us bother you!”, she said, and she waved goodbye as Luz ran off, trying to not curse herself for her deception.

Amity turned back to Braxas and patted his head as he led her to his bed, which had racecar flames on the sides. He climbed up on it, and invited her to sit.

Amity bent her knees and sat down beside him, as he crawled towards his pillow case. “Ms… Mom, remember that I told you about my dangling fang a few days ago?”

“Why, yes! You were very excited about it!”, Amity said, reminecsing the memory. She smirked lovingly. “In fact, you were so excited your fire breath nearly burned my clothes!”

“Sorry…”, Braxas apologized, and Amity shook her head and smiled softly. “It’s all right. When I was little and got excited, I’d get the hiccups. Willow thought it was so funny, so I didn’t mind.”, Amity enjoyed the memory, but it soon soured as she remembered that she and Willow were still on bad terms. And it was her fault.

“Who’s Willow?”, Braxas asked, and Amity stuttered for a second before regaining her composure.

“Willow… Is someone who I need to talk to again. Someone who… I need to reaffirm my trust to.”

She then changed the subject, eyes shining. “But enough about me: What about your fang?”

Braxas proudly presented his fang in his hand, jumping up and down on the bed. “TA DA!”

Amity cooed and clapped happily for him. “Oh, Braxas! Your first fang! And a mighty fine fang it is too!”

She tickled him for a second. “Almost as big as my big big boy!”

He giggled, before placing the fang under the pillow and turning to Amity, a question in his heart. “What do you think the tooth fairy will give me?”

Amity froze, remembering the horrible fact that the tooth fairy was not gonna come, because she was locked for crimes against humanity (at least, so she was told). She bit her lip; Braxas would be so disappointed.

She chose her words carefully as he sat back in her lap, his head stroked automatically by her without a single thought. “…Well… That depends…”

She was a horrible liar, so she looked away. “What would you WANT her to give you?”

The sound of a crashing plate made Braxas jump, before he quietly said “…New parents.”

Amity sighed; she couldn’t REALLY give that. “…Anything else?”

It was a shot in the dark, but she was lucky this time. Braxas suddenly looked up happily and said “Snow! In my room, if that’s ok!”

Amity pursed her lips. It would be hard…

But that smile was worth hard work. Amity was a clever witch, and Luz was a very talented one too. Surely they could figure something out.

Leaving Braxas for a moment on his bed, Amity said “Braxas, would you mind waiting just a moment while I ask my… Wife a question?”

“Of course! But NO kissing! That’s only at bedtime!”, he reminded, and Amity stifled a giggle as she closed the door.

“All right! I promise!”

Meanwhile, Luz was again trying her hardest to learn a new spell. Still without visual aids, Luz knew she needed a wand. “But where am I going to find one?”, she groaned hopelessly, only to remember in what house she was in. But this felt too sneaky: “Borrowing” a wand? Maybe if it was someone she knew, but this was too far.

“But how do I do this then?”, Luz cried, eyes tracing every single word over and over again. Desperation hit, and Luz decided that she’d have to recreate the spells the wands could make with her pen, despite the teeny tiny problem of how miniscule they were.

Luz bit her pen as she started, looking at the first glyph, a fire spell; the details would have to be immaculate, and Luz wasn’t sure she could do that.

“…But It’s bad enough that I’m not helping Amity as much as I could. The least I can do is give her more study time, instead of wasting it on me.”, Luz thought sadly, and she began to muscle through, ink dancing on the page as she tried to get it JUST right.

It took a while, and a few pieces of paper, but Luz was beginning to get the hang of it when…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Luz jumped so high she nearly touched the spikey roof, and, voice squeaking, she asked “…Who is it?”

“It’s Amity… Your… “Wife”…”, Amity added the last part just in case Braxas was listening, but a small part of her really enjoyed saying that. “No, wait, don’t think about that, there are more important things than the small little bit of you that wants to kiss Luz!”, Amity criticized herself and carried on.

Luz gulped, feeling guilty. She now really had to lie to Amity, and that felt just horrible. “Amity, um… I just need a minute and I’ll come.”

Not technically a lie; she was almost done with the drawing, and while she wasn’t sure it would work, she could at least take a break and help with Braxas like she promised.

Amity’s eyes flashed with concern and she sounded it. “Luz… You’ve been there for a while. Are… Are you ok?”

Luz could hear the worry in her tone, and it touched her. Thankfully, this wasn’t a lie either (sort of): “Yep! I’m ok!”

“Oh, ok… Because, well, you made an odd sound, I thought you might be vomiting… On purpose.”, Amity started, rambling a bit from fear. “I used to do that a lot, and like, you really shouldn’t if you are, since you are beautiful just the way you are, and you’re not fat at all, not that that would be a problem, because you’re pretty any which way, and I…”

Amity was a blushy mess by the end of that sentence, and she felt like such an idiot. But Luz was surprised by the trust and care Amity showed in those few words. Amity would never have done that just about a month ago, and now?

“…What I mean is… You can trust me. You don’t need to change anything about yourself.”

Luz wanted to believe that, but it wouldn’t stop her from pursuing her magic lessons in the bathroom. Still, Amity’s words meant a lot, and they struck her with a guilt wound that was gaping.

Luz leaned her head on the door, and she could somehow feel Amity doing the same. “I’m… I’m not doing that, but… Thank you.”

“No need. We’re friends, right? You say that that’s what friends do, so I’m happy to finally return the favor.”

Luz bit her lip. The glyph was almost done, but…

“I’m coming, ok? I don’t think I’ll need to go again today.”

“Oh, good!”, Amity said, maybe a little too excitedly. “See, I originally came to ask you something…”

Luz quickly added one last detail with her pen, and dropped it onto the page, not noticing that it rolled a bit before stopping. Luz then opened the door and greeted Amity, who had luckily stood up at the right moment.

“Ok, I’m back!”, Luz said cheerfully, and Amity smiled.

“Oh, and before you tell me the important thing…”, Luz started, and then she embraced Amity as hard as possible, burying her head into Amity’s neck and giving her warmth, Amity blushing hard but not hating the contact. She stroked Luz’s hair a little. “So soft…”, she thought, and she wished she could make Luz feel comfortable forever.

“Thank you…”, Were Luz’s only words, before parting from the hug. Amity felt a lingering disappointment at its ending, but she had to carry on for Braxas.

The two started walking, Amity explaining her predicament with a gift for Braxas, Luz nodding thoughtfully.

“But how do we make snow?”, she asked, as they opened the door. Snow was not a spell she could make, and Amity wouldn’t ask for help if she knew either.

“Not sure.”, Amity whispered, as they approached Braxas, who was running around pretending to be a broom. “But I can’t let him down, so try to think of something.”

Amity then raised her voice, noticing the time. “All right, Braxas, we have time for one more game, and then it’s dinner time and bed time!”

Braxas sighed. “Aw man, do I have to?”

Luz giggled as Amity got all motherly again, and scooped Braxas up in her arms. Luz sighed dreamily; Amity was such a sweetheart.

“I know it’s a bummer, but let’s try and make the best of it! Who knows, I… I might just have a surprise for you!”

Amity knew the risk in making a promise like that with no plan, but she figured her determination and Luz’s spunk would get them through.

Braxas cheered excitedly and ran off immediately to find his last game.

As he did, Luz and Amity looked at each other. Luz smiled appreciatively, and curiously asked “You’re a natural at this! How long have you been babysitting him?”

“A year, maybe a year and a half? Time flies, you know.”, Amity said, and a clock flew outside, waving to Luz.

Luz waved back, before adding “Well, one thing for sure: He really likes you!”

“Well, we both share an understanding when it comes to…”, Amity started, before regretting her sentence, and, wincing, she stopped talking.

Luz didn’t understand, and she flashed a worried look. “Amity?”

“…It’s nothing…”

She then smiled softly. “But it will become something one day. I trust you… But I need some time, ok?”

Luz nodded, but once more felt bad. Amity was so open, so free now next to her, she clearly had faith in Luz. “And I’m paying it back with lies! Like a banker Fox!”

Luz almost decided to tell the truth when Braxas suddenly ran in with his last game: A puzzle of one of his and Amity’s favorite books, Otabin. Luz and Amity shared a knowing look; that night at the library with Otabin had led to this moment with the puzzle. Like a beautiful poem, the present rhymed with the past, but with a rosier reflection.

“What do you say, honey?”, Amity asked, causing Luz to giggle. “You wanna help us piece this together?”

Luz saluted. “Aye aye, captain wife!”

Braxas sat comfortably between them, working on the middle, while Luz and Amity teamed up on the edges. Both girls had one hand for the puzzle and one for stroking Braxas’ head, but without noticing they began to interlace their fingers, and feel warm and safe, enough so that their heads rested on each other.

“Her hair is so soft… Like a pillow…”, Amity had never felt so restful before. Most nights she spent wide awake or tossing and turning. Her pillows were hard and hurtful.

Luz wasn’t.

Luz could feel Amity’s breath on her head, her hand in her hand. “How could anyone be so pretty? Like an Azura book cover, but… Real.”

Amity’s face was content, and Luz wished it would stay that way. Who knew that someone else’s smile could be so magical?

Amity caught Luz staring, and chuckled quietly as Luz turned away and whistled innocently. Who knew that someone could be so funny and thoughtful?

Their eyes caught each other, and they heard another yell from the parents outside.

Amity’s expression saddened. Luz squeezed her hand instinctually. Amity smiled.

She was home.

Luz, however, felt bad once more. Amity needed the best version of her, and right now she wasn’t. But at the same time, was telling Amity that tomorrow, the last possible day of preparing her, fair?

Luz wanted to tear her hair off, when Braxas finished the puzzle. “YAY! WE DID IT!”

The picture stood proudly in the center of the room, but Luz kept feeling bad as she remembered how Amity had apologized during figure skating a while ago. Luz had said they could be open with each other; Was Luz being a hypocrite? What should she do?

The need to tell Amity the truth and the need to make things easier for Amity fought and fought, until Luz couldn’t handle it no longer, especially when Amity reached for a high five. “I normally hate these, but you can have one too, Luz!”

Amity was giving so much, Amity was opening herself up. Luz was supposed to be better than this. She was supposed to be trustworthy, there for Amity. But was she really, if she was lying? Even on something small like this?

Amity deserved the truth.

Luz turned to Amity, guilt gnawing at her heart. Amity raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Luz, is something wrong?”

Luz roused her strength and opened her mouth…

And then the door got busted right open by the largest rectangular block of ice Luz had ever seen.

“Dear Azura!”, Amity exclaimed, and Luz looked back as if to agree.

“This is the 3rd largest block of ice I’ve ever seen!”, Amity and Braxas both said, and Luz stared at them wildly.

“…3RD?!”

“Not time for that, we have to minimize this thing!”, Amity said, and she took out her training wand to try and shrink the block of ice, while holding Braxas in the other arm to keep him safe. Luz meanwhile began to panic: She had been trying to make a fire spell, but she hadn’t finished it. Was it possible that by some horrible coincidence she had set off an ice spell instead?

“Amity, wait: I think this is an ice spell!”, Luz said, gearing up her confession. This was all her fault, she had to fix it!

“It would make sense! But how did it happen?”, Amity asked, already running theories in her head that one of the parents may have set one off by mistake (or not) and the spell had gone the wrong way.

Luz felt the guilt pirhanna eat her up even further, and even worse, Amity’s spell wasn’t slowing it down! Running up to the ice block, she began to push with all her might, the ice almost budging.

“How can I help? How can I help?”, Braxas asked, reaching at the ice block but not coming close for a moment.

Amity shushed him with a kiss on the head. “You can help by putting your hand on my wand. Maybe together we’ll make the spell strong enough.”

Amity was a powerful witch, but she was still training with her spell casting, and a shrinking spell was more complicated than it looked. With the ice approaching, Amity looked around for options, and found the only one that she liked.

“Luz! Maybe you could use your light spell to melt the ice, just a little! Perhaps we can make it smaller that way without breaking it!”, Amity offered, and Luz, feeling dreadful, nodded her head and accepted immediately, before hesitating.

Turning around, she panicked guiltily. “But… But Amity, I’m… A light spell isn’t good enough! We need someone more…”

She sighed morosely. “Trustworthy.”

Amity turned to Luz, and, with her most serious and genuine face, said “Luz… We already have you!”

It was at that moment that Luz realized why Amity had called her in the first place: All the times Amity had said it today were true: She really DID trust Luz. Enough to share such personal information, to act all silly and goofy, to show her true, kind, caring, sweet center. Amity had once been so worried, back then on the ice, and now she was being what Luz had thought she herself was doing: Being open, real. And when it seemed like Luz had been hurt, Amity was there on the double to help.

…Amity was there for Luz. Now it was time to do that too, with no fear.

Rushing to the bathroom Luz found her paper and pens and rushed back, drawing glyphs like a mad woman while Amity kept pressing on the ice block, that was beginning to slow down, but only slightly.

Luz sweated and toiled until one by one, little light balls rose up around her.

Amity took a side glance, and couldn’t help but admire the girl, before blushing and resuming her work.

“Great work, Luz!”, Amity said, reminded of yet another thing her parents never did. “Now, make it melt!”

Luz readied to throw them, closed her eyes, and handed out her heart. “For Amity and Braxas…”, she said, knowing she could fail…

But going for it anyway.

The light balls hurled towards the ice block, and Amity and Braxas shouted the spell once more, and like that, the ice block shrunk and melted until it was a heart shaped ice block that could fit into the palm of Luz’s hand, and it did, as Amity and Braxas walked up to it.

“We did it! We saved the day!”, Braxas cheered, and Amity shook Luz’s hand respectfully.

“A fantastic job, Luzura…”, she congratulated, inwardly fist pumping for the grateful smile and blush on Luz’s face, but Luz began to frown as Amity asked for Braxas to wait for 5 minutes while she warmed up his leftovers.

“Yeah… Um, Amity… I need to tell you something.”, Luz said, feeling horrible. She rubbed her arm, and avoided her friend’s glance as she removed plastic boxes of food from the fridge and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sure, fire away!”, Amity said non chalantly, and Luz just didn’t get it.

“You’re so… Comfortable and trusting with me. I don’t get it. Why? All I do is mess things up…”, Luz began, and Amity chuckled as she placed a plate full of rice, peas and Griffon meat into the microwave.

“Luz, if it weren’t for your “messes”, I would never have realized that beyond that was someone I lo… I want to be friends with.”, Amity caught her Freudian slip in the nick of time, and blushed profusely, but she meant every word.”

Luz gulped; this was hard. “Yeah, true, but… But…”

“But what? Didn’t you tell me a few weeks ago that what was important was that we were there for each other, even if we make mistakes? That nothing could separate us? I mean, I sure don’t want to lose you.”, Amity said, a hint of desperation in her voice. Luz had given her so much in so little time, had she perhaps not been giving enough?

Luz shook her head and hung it low. “No. I’m the one who wasn’t there.”

Amity raised an eyebrow in confusion as she removed the plate from the microwave and leaned back on the kitchen counter. “…Is this about the bathroom breaks, because only I am disappointed in myself for not spending 100% of my time on my work.”

“No, no, I mean…”, Luz sighed sadly and just spat it out.

“I accidentally set off the ice block. I was… I was trying to learn some magic on the side while we were babysitting, because… because I didn’t want to waste your time on teaching me spells. You have so much to do, and… And I wanted to be there for you, and not make you lose valuable study time. But I guess I wasn’t there in the end because I kept slinking off.”

Luz’s lip was trembling by the end. “I’m sorry. I’m a terrible friend.”

Amity digested this for a moment…

And then she slowly walked up to Luz and held out her hand.

Luz was confused. “A handshake?”

“No. Something way more important.”, Amity stated, and Luz hesitantly gave her hand, worried that Amity was angry.

Amity looked Luz in the eyes and talked slowly but surely, not for a moment doubting her words. “Luz Noceda, when we first met, I thought you were just some annoying pest, a bully who wanted nothing more than to ruin my life.”

“Ouch.”, Luz said, but she knew she deserved it.

Amity’s expression then softened. “But then… Well, then I met the real you. The one who tried to save my life. Who forgave me for my mistakes. Who saw me cry in a ditch about what a failure I am and unlike everyone else in my life, accepted the real me and gave me a chance to be someone good.”

Amity blinked away a tear. “You gave me what I never had: Love. And friendship. When I’m with you, I know that… I can be kind, and it’s not weakness. When I’m with you…”

Amity smiled the most genuine smile Luz had ever seen. “I’m happy. I’m home. I’m safe.”

Luz was crying too now, and Amity reassured her. “Honestly, I think it’s kind of silly that you thought you ruined everything. You were gone for like, 10 minutes? And you helped me with a lot! I mean, this wasn’t even a long evening, I just needed a little help with the wife thing and he totally bought it!”

Luz let out a giggle. She HAD been silly, hadn’t she?

Amity got a little serious again, before smiling. “I do wish you hadn’t lied to me, but… After all the stuff I did to you, even if I didn’t mean to be mean… Well, I’d say we’re even… Even if what I did outweighs you by a million percent.”

Luz shook her head. “Amity… All you gave me was happiness. I… I feel like it’s ok to be myself with you. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. But it’s you, Amity. It’s you.”

“So… Why don’t we stop being so afraid and stop all these emotional explosions and just admit it: I want to be your friend, I trust you, and I am NEVER leaving you. I don’t care if I have to teach you all of magic tomorrow, because being with you is… Is as good as reading an Azura book. I care for you, Luz. And I always will. Got it, dork?”, Amity said, the most loving smile plastered across her face.

Luz shook her hand heartily. “Agreed, “babe”.”

The two blushed and giggled, and then, realizing that they truly weren’t alone, that after all the things they had gone through both girls were now 100% sure that they could be together, the two hugged each other as tightly as possible, seizing all the warmth they had, stroking each other’s hair and giving each other all the love they had.

They were together forever. And that was final.

Departing from the hug, the two were still grinning when they realized that they still held each other’s waists…

And that they were very close indeed.

Pink coated their cheeks, but somehow, they felt like they should stay like this.

Their eyes began to close, and the gap between their mouths began to dissolve. They weren’t thinking, they were just acting on impulse, on an innate desire to make the other feel just how much they loved them.

But suddenly the parents yelled once more from the living room, a vase breaking, and the two parted, sheepishly laughing.

“Um… Let’s just… Ignore that.”, Amity offered, and Luz agreed.

“Braxas’ dinner will get cold anyway.”

Despite this, they held hands as they entered his room, the heart now in Luz’s pocket.

As they entered, Amity remembered the gift she had to give Braxas and cursed inwardly. Whispering to Luz, she pleaded for her help. “I can’t let him down! But we don’t have any ice to use for my snow creating spell!”

Luz felt bad, until she remembered what was in her pocket and grinned wildly. “Or is there?”

Amity slowly nodded, loving the plan.

Braxas, meanwhile, ran up to them to take his plate. “Yay! Griffon meat, rice and peas, my favorite!”

“Here you go, Braxas! Now, my wife and I have to get to the closet, I believe there is a surprise in there.”, Amity teased playfully, and Braxas’ eyes widened.

“A surprise? For me?”, he asked, gleeful.

“Maybeee…”, Amity winked, and she walked in with Luz to the closet door, while Braxas obediently closed his eyes, though he still peaked a little bit.

Inside the closet, Luz took out the heart of ice, while Amity took out her training wand, that mercifully still had juice in it.

“Ready?”, Amity asked, pointing her wand.

“Ready!”, Luz said, holding out the ice, totally excited.

Amity fired the spell, the closet doors opened, Braxas looked up…

And it snowed.

His eyes widened with wonder as tiny fractals of ever changing shapes and size fluttered down like angels to tickle his nose. He touched one with his tongue and it melted. The snow fell and fell, covering him softly in a blanket, which then carried him to bed, tucking him in and hugging him.

“Guess the tooth fairy came early.”, Amity said, and Luz nodded, as they suddenly appeared beside him, looking down at him as he was in bed. Thankfully, Braxas was the fastest eater ever, as he had already gulped down his entire meal.

He smiled softly up at them. “…Thank you for being my mommies.”

He kissed Amity and Luz softly on the nose, and they kissed his forehead. “It was a pleasure.”, Amity said, affection in her tone, and Luz added “I would gladly do it again, you wittle cutie pie!”

Braxas then added an important point. “Oh, wait, if it’s bedtime, that means you have to kiss!”

Luz and Amity both blushed a deep, deep red, redder than Braxas himself. They HAD said that.

“Well? You gonna kiss?”, he asked, a little cheekily, and Luz and Amity both giggled nervously as they looked at each other.

“I have to do this for Braxas! Besides… It’s not like it’s the worst thing in the world to kiss someone as beautiful as Luz…”, Amity thought, praying that her parents and siblings never hear of this, or she would be dead, but also thanking Azura for the chance… WAIT, DID SHE WANT THIS?!

“I have to do this for Braxas and for Amity! And, like, she IS a very pretty girl… If I were to kiss anyone here, it would be… WAIT, DO I WANT THIS?!”, Luz thought, so utterly confused.

But, there was nothing to be done. The two edged closer and quickly kissed each other on the cheeks.

Luz’s kiss was so warm, so bright, Amity could still feel the heat and love in it as she touched her cheek daintily. And Amity’s kiss was so full of meaning, even if it was to keep up the act, that Luz felt like she could conquer mountains.

“…Wow…”, they both whispered, as Braxas clapped.

“That was great! You two make a great couple!”

Amity giggled and kissed him goodnight one last time. “Goodnight, my angel. I’ll see you another time, ok?”

“Ok… (Yawn) Goodnight, mommy. Other Mommy.”

The two girls nodded and tip toed quietly outside, until they were out of the door. Luz had collected her books from the bathroom, and in no time they were about to leave on their separate ways.

Amity rubbed the back of her head. “Um… Sorry about that. I had to do it for him.”, She was so embarrassed, and worried that it was too much for Luz, but Luz disagreed.

“It’s cool, amiga! It made him happy! Besides… It was pretty nice for a first kiss…”, Luz admitted, blushing profusely and hiding her face in her hoodie.

Amity blushed too, before saying “Well… Thank you… But it doesn’t really count as a first kiss.”

“What do you mean?”, Luz asked, surprised at this statement.

“Well, any friend who is really close to you can kiss you on the cheek, that’s just a fact! A first kiss is when both parties are aware they are going to kiss, and are doing it for each other, AND on the lips!”, Amity instructed.

“Oh… Well, what if someone does it to the other and surprises them?”, Luz inquired further, fascinated by this new knowledge.

Amity scratched her chin. “…I would say it counts, but only if it’s on the lips!”, she said.

“Oh… Then I guess I have no first kiss yet!”, Luz said, ok with this fact. If she were to have one, though, Amity would be one heck of a choice, she thought.

“Me neither.”, Amity confessed.

“That’s weird. Someone as pret… As… As wonderful as you should have one by now.”, Luz said, trying not to die from the heart attack she was having.

Amity was struggling too. “You too.”

They turned around, for a moment, and Amity thought of how scared Luz had been about their friendship. For weeks now they were like soulmates, yet they still struggled.

Luz had given her so much…

Luz had been there for her all the time…

And even when Luz had made a mistake, she had treated Amity with respect and fixed it…

Luz was the only person Amity had…

And Amity wanted to give back.

Suddenly turning around, she called out “Luz?”

Luz turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Amity walked up to her. “…”

Luz waited patiently while Amity roused her strength. “…You’re always gonna have me.”

Luz nodded, smiling. “I know that now.”

Amity’s heart pounded in her chest. The stars began to come out. “…Close your eyes.”

“…Ok…”, Luz said, closing her eyes.

Amity braced herself…

And she kissed her on the lips.

It was only for a moment, but for Luz and Amity it felt like an eternity, as lips sealed together in eternal harmony and hearts sang together hand in hand in passionate unity. For a moment, Amity drowned all of Luz’s concerns, and so did Luz to Amity.

They truly would be together forever.

Amity parted, Luz’s sweet love still on her lips, Luz feeling Amity’s devotion still ringing in her mouth.

The night sky was illuminated by their blushes.

“…Friends forever, Luz. I promise.”

“…Ditto.”

They grinned, and parted.

Amity smiled to herself, wondering why her heart was pounding so much when it was just a platonic kiss between friends on the lips.

Luz, meanwhile, floated in the air.

She too didn’t understand what was so exciting about a kiss on the lips between friends.

But she did know she was free to be herself.

She had a third home now: With Amity Blight.

When they went to bed that night, they both thought of the other…

And kissed the air, as if they were kissing each other.

“Goodnight, Luz.”

“Goodnight, Amity.”

They smiled.

They were home.


End file.
